On Wings of Love and Steel
by echo-WLH
Summary: Nejiten. Semi-AU. Shinobi Agent Tenten is forced to pose as a transfer student to a high school to be a secret bodyguard for soon-to-be Hyuuga Software Inc. chairman Hyuuga Neji, who is pursued by members of the Black Market for his eyes.
1. Sepia and disgust

_AN: After a long hiatus involving a heated battle between my adamant self and several life-sapping AP classes, I'm thoroughly glad to say that I'm back. And with a brand new Nejiten adventure saga! I am now a senior in high school. I have time to write!_

_Needless to say, I will be updating my previous stories post-haste, but I'm pretty excited about this one, so I'm not sure what'll come to me first. _

_This is a semi-AU, with a plot line vaguely based on Full Metal Panic!, though there's a bit of a gender reversal in terms of the main characters. Rest assured that, aside from the basic concept, the story is very different from FMP!. Tenten is epic. Ahh. So are Sasuke and Shikamaru. They are epic Shinobi Agents from Konoha, an unaffiliated secret agent organization based in Japan that specializes in stopping crime (kind of like Mithril). Neji is a badboy civilian who apparently needs protection (Kaname?). _

_And so the plot unfolds. Enjoy! _

_Wahaha,_

_WLH._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto characters, nor FMP! plot concepts.**

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><p>Steam. Splash. Hot skin on tiles.<p>

Sasuke was aware of all these things as he stepped into the bath area that was connected to the two-bed, two-desk room, sliding the partition shut behind him. The latch connected with a barely audible click—the sound of water dripping slowly into the bath was louder.

Nonetheless, a voice came from within the muggy depths, clear and piercing like a blade. "Back already? That went faster than I expected."

He paused on the slippery floor, feeling beads of sweat gather at the base of his neck. She was as perceptive as ever.

"I finished up the business quickly so I could get back as soon as possible," he answered lightly as he continued toward the darkening silhouette of the tub, where the slender figure of a young girl reclined. "You know how Gai gets when I don't come in time for training."

Rippling water. She sat up as he drew near, mahogany hair falling over her swollen breasts and pooling in the water around her. It glistened with a newly-washed sheen.

The girl had no reason to question why her childhood friend and unit-mate stood over her as she sat naked in the scalding water, nor did she have reason to feel embarrassed as his eyes freely roamed her body, betraying no emotion. When her chocolate ones met his deep onyx in the swirling steam, she knew why he had come and promptly stood.

"Did she call for us just now?" she asked quietly, accepting the thin towel he pressed against her dripping front.

He nodded. "Right when I got back."

As she wrapped herself in the soft material and squeezed excess water from her tresses, a small frown marked her thin lips. "Hm. And I didn't even get to use conditioner. Heaven knows how wild my hair gets without it."

"Not that you do much with it anyways," was his well-worn response, and as soon as the water had been let out of the tub, the two left the room. The girl paused only to sweep up her clothing.

She changed deftly even as they walked down the hall at a brisk pace. The process was altogether practiced and fluid, as if it had been undergone a number of times. "Where's Shikamaru?" She snapped the fastener on her shirt closed.

Sasuke smirked down at her from where he stood at 6' 1". "Either smartly dressed and already before Tsunade-sama or snoring away on the roof, a book on his face."

She in turn gave him a challenging smile from her height of 5' 4", and with lithe fingers bound her hair into two tight buns. "500 yen he's on the roof."

Incidentally, she was right, and on their way to Executive Hokage Tsunade's office after collecting a sleepy Shikamaru, she bought three cans of ice coffee from the nearby vending machine using her newly acquired 500 yen.

"Here you guys go," she chirped, handing the two remaining cans to her unit-mates as she opened her own with one hand. "My treat."

"Charming, Tenten," Sasuke grumbled as he caught the can Shikamaru tossed at him.

Tenten, eyes bright, flashed him a candid wink before turning to knock on the large wooden door before them.

"Yes?" A familiar voice, full of strength and experience-wrought wisdom, resounded even through the heavy door.

"Shinobi Agent Tenten, Shinobi Agent Uchiha Sasuke, and Unit Leader Nara Shikamaru reporting for duty," she replied smartly.

If Shikamaru felt any annoyance that she had announced their arrival instead of deferring to him, the Unit Leader, to do so, he didn't show it. It was customary that she did most of the talking—their unit tended not to adhere to the traditions of most Konoha Shinobi Agent units; in fact, it did anything but.

Despite this blatant break of protocol, Tsunade welcomed the three into her office with a wide grin. "Did you guys see the new vending machine I had installed just down the hall?"

* * *

><p>After receiving the can of ice coffee Tenten insisted on buying for her from the new vending machine with her remaining yen, Tsunade settled back into her plush armchair and let out a small belch of satisfaction. "Ice coffee always hits the spot," she mentioned happily before swiftly cracking her knuckles and getting straight down to business.<p>

"I did not call you guys in for your typical reconnaissance, assassination, or sabotage mission," she started, her voice suddenly laced with seriousness. She steepled her painted fingertips. "Nevertheless, I felt that this mission required the man-power, which is why I want all three of you."

"If it's not the usual, then what, may I ask, is it?" Tenten inquired politely, intrigue and excitement evident in her wide eyes.

Tsunade suppressed a chuckle at her eagerness. "We received a request for personal defense." She paused to let the words sink in for a moment and then passed the bored-looking Shikamaru a clipboard crammed to bursting with papers, newspaper clippings, and photographs.

"P-personal defense?" the young girl's mouth dropped open. "You don't mean-"

"Bodyguarding, simply put," Sasuke put in grimly. "How many years has it been since we've had one of these?"

"Four. Last time was when we were 13." Shikamaru was the only unconcerned unit-member. "What paranoid, egotistical tycoon might we have the honor of guarding this time?" He yawned to punctuate the sarcastic question.

"Who cares? They're the ones we always end up killing to complete the mission, anyway," Tenten remarked dryly.

"Only because paranoid tycoons usually rise to their positions through underhanded means," Sasuke reminded, taking the clipboard from Shikamaru before the lazy leader could let the many files spill onto the tasteful plush rug that covered the floor of the Executive Hokage's office. "I expect this time is different."

Hokage Tsunade smiled slightly. "Correct. This time's client isn't quite a paranoid tycoon yet, and though he may be egotistical, not to mention an infamous playboy, he hasn't developed enough criminal tendencies to use any underhanded tactics."

"Yet," she added, after some thought.

"Ugh, I don't like the sound of this already," Tenten bemoaned rather unprofessionally as Sasuke silently passed her the clipboard. Resigning herself to her fated duty as a Shinobi Agent with a sigh, she cast her weary eyes upon the files.

The very first clipping, a very scratched photograph, surprised her. She could tell it was several years, perhaps a decade, old, as its soft colors faded into a dull sepia at the edges. Three figures, one considerably taller than the other two, stood before a beautiful Japanese garden scene clad in loose-fitting kimonos. The tallest figure was a grim-faced man with inky black hair down to the middle of his back. His eyes were a striking lavender, lacking pupils, and his jaw was set as if chiseled from stone. He carried a small child, presumably a female, in his arms. The young girl standing in the middle with the same eyes must have been his other daughter. She seemed to stare down at the pebbled ground instead of directly at the camera, and clasped the right sleeve of the slightly older looking boy (or was it a girl?) beside her.

Tenten studied the blurry image of the final figure closely, unable to explain the sudden tug she felt at her heart as she gazed upon his lonely countenance. He must have been about six or seven years old. His was a pitiful face that belied a great inner conviction—fighting the emptiness in his eyes, his lips bravely committed themselves to a small smile up at the camera; it was clear his inner emotions were in turmoil. There was something about the resolute hope he carried in his subtle expression that drew her in. And his eyes, she noted almost subconsciously, were as pure white and cold as snow.

She finally pulled back the photograph to reveal the other files underneath and promptly felt her gag-reflexes kick in as she took in the second paper: a school information sheet, complete with a large bust-shot of who she assumed must be the young boy from the first photograph. Only different. Very, very different.

_How could two pictures of the same person be so outrageously different?_ She asked herself almost angrily.

Indeed, the person in the school identification picture, now a sturdily-built and admittedly handsome young man, was worlds away from the resolute boy she had been so initially drawn to. He now leered at her with a sickeningly self-gratifying gaze of narcissism, lips twisted in a smirk that somehow reminded her of the dark-eyed Sasuke, though her unit-mate lacked the boy's overwhelming ego. All traces of the lost boy who had been striving so desperately to find his place were gone. The only constants she could place were his milk-white eyes, still containing the same snow-like purity that now belied his evidently corrupt nature.

"Egotistical playboy fits him to the T," she scoffed, tossing aside the clipboard.

Always quick in terms of reflexes, Sasuke caught the projectile with a soft grunt and a frown. "Regardless, this is our mission and it must be fulfilled to the best of our abilities."

"That is for certain," Tsunade agreed solemnly. "You three must monitor and protect Hyuuga Neji from any threat that comes his way. Our client is his father, Hyuuga Hiashi, whom, as you may know, is—"

"Chairman of the Hyuuga Software Incorporation," Shikamaru interrupted. "We really can't afford to fail—practically 100% of the software we use for all of our surveillance and intelligence is from the Hyuuga Incorporation, clear across the board."

Rather than scold his insolence, the Hokage was pleased at his perceptiveness. "You always pay such thorough attention," she commended him.

"So… what exactly are we protecting… him from?" The previously sullen Tenten spoke up, aware of the duty that loomed over her.

"Hyuuga-san refused to say." Tsunade's eyes narrowed sharply. "But we have sources that point to the Black Market. Or its dealers, in any case."

The "three-pronged-weapon," as they were often called among Konoha agents, raised their eyebrows almost simultaneously in surprise at the Hokage's insinuations.

"What kind of Black Market dealer would want a teenage boy?" Sasuke asked. "And what from him?"

Tenten, though obviously puzzled, managed to interject sardonically, "And who would even willingly come into direct contact by kidnapping someone like him? I wouldn't, not for all of his super-expensive Hyuuga Software Incorporation organs—" she stopped abruptly.

"Organs…" she breathed in epiphany. Immediately, she made a wild grab for the clipboard Sasuke held and pointed at the first picture of the young Neji and his family. "Tsunade-sama, could it be…?"

A troubled look creeping onto her face, Tsunade nodded confirmation. "We suspect they're after _his eyes._"

* * *

><p>"I hate my life."<p>

"No, you don't."

A cross Tenten stared down an unperturbed Shikamaru as he stood behind a camera, fiddling with a few of its settings. "Oh, but I do."

The normally lazy unit leader let out a small noise of disbelief. "I seriously doubt that." _Click_.

Her mouth dropped open. "Hey! I wasn't ready yet!"

"I can definitely tell that much by the looks of this picture," Shikamaru sniggered, turning the LCD display for Sasuke to view the embarrassing moment he had just captured.

Her other teammate also let out a golden smirk from under his coal-colored bangs. "Priceless."

The two could hardly blink before a cold wind zipped past them and something metal embedded itself into the wall behind them.

Tenten pouted, severely irked, twirling several kunai and shuriken adroitly on her right index finger in the same way a student would nonchalantly spin his pencil during a class of idle note-taking. "Retake, or there's more where that came from."

"Alright, alright," Shikamaru consented, though completely unafraid of her meaningless threats. "Gotta make sure your _transfer student information sheet_ has a nice picture to go along with it."

"Don't push me," she grumbled.

"Smile, Tenten," Sasuke advised, and she complied reluctantly, flashing a set of pearly teeth sweetly at the camera.

She couldn't help but grimace inwardly. Her hair felt weird, down from its customary dual-buns in favor of two loose braids that hung girlishly over her thin shoulders. The blazer that encased her upper body was too tight, too stiffed, _too ironed._ And her skirt. No words for that abomination.

"Done," her unit leader decided, passing over the camera for her inspection and approval.

There she sat, picturesque in her neatly pressed private high school uniform, eyes wide and dewy above a killer smile that worked its way from her coral colored lips to her gently arching eyebrows. The sun from a nearby window caught the shine in her wispy brown braids. It was the epitome of sweet innocence, a moment in the quiet day of a normal, pretty school girl with a stress-free and money-filled life. It was beautiful. But it was not her.

Sasuke whistled as he glanced over her shoulder in an unusual display of levity. "You're pretty damn photogenic, Tenten."

She closed her eyes, disgruntled. "I hate my life."

Her thoughts roamed indignantly to the previous mission briefing they'd just had with the Executive Hokage. She could still hear her own voice, clouded with disbelief, at the arduous task she and she alone would be forced to undertake.

"_I'm going to what?"_

_Tsunade had glared at her angry outburst—letting personal opinions interfere with a mission was not only a break of professional protocol, but could also seriously endanger the outcome. "You WILL transfer to Hyuuga Neji's school and watch over him from your vantage point as a classmate. Sasuke and Shikamaru will back you up with the necessary equipment." Seeing Tenten's mouth open once more in protest, she closed her eyes firmly. "And that is final!"_

Tenten sighed. She had shown an unnaturally immature side of herself she usually never dared display in the professional setting. And though she greatly regretted her inability to control her disdain for the new mission, just the thought of spending time daily in the Hyuuga's presence sent shivers of disgust down her spine.

"_One more thing," Tsunade continued, adding injury to insult, "is that Hyuuga Neji must not know what you three are doing. Our client has requested this, most likely to prevent Neji from panicking or even realizing the dangerous situation he's in."_

_Tenten gritted her teeth._

"_Isn't it foolish that he not know the danger he's in?" Sasuke asked._

_Tsunade fixed him with a straight stare. "It matters not what we think. Our client asked for it to be that way."_

_Sasuke was silent for a moment before he answered obediently. "Understood."_

_Fuming inwardly, Tenten managed to bow without betraying her emotions. As the three turned to leave, Tsunade called out, "Tenten."_

_She paused, biting her lip. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"_

_The older woman's voice was gentle, as were her honey brown eyes as they regarded the young agent who stared distraughtly at the ground. "I asked for you because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are capable." Her voice hardened to a professional level once more. "Dismissed."_

The Executive Hokage's approval and inherent trust in her abilities had been reassuring, but somehow Tenten still felt anguished. It was so unknown to her, this narcissistic smile, the prospect of attending an actual school. And though Tenten usually thrived and found thrill in the unknown, this time she was filled with an untraceable foreboding.

"I can't even explain the situation to him if I get caught essentially stalking him," she murmured. "What a creep I'll seem like.."

"You'll be alright," Shikamaru reassured with a sigh, aware that he and Sasuke had gotten off easily compared to her. "You're so good at recon that you never get caught anyways."

Tenten buried her head deep within the crook of her right elbow and managed to calm herself, to get her mind thinking rationally at a level above her heaving heart. "I know, but this school setting closes a lot of doors in terms of recon opportunities. It's best to be prepared for anything."

"We'll leave you to think, then," Sasuke put in knowingly. He exited the room, leaving Tenten curled up in the middle of her bed.

Shikamaru unscrewed the digital camera from its stand and slid it into his pocket to complete Tenten's fake transfer files. Before leaving the room however, he paused before her and placed a slip of thick paper onto her right cheek, which faced him. Permitting himself a smile, he walked out of the room and gently slid the door shut.

After he had left, Tenten reached a small hand up to her cheek and brought the curling, old photograph before her tired eyes. There stood Hyuuga Neji, young face filled with stirring hope as he gazed calmly at the camera, at her. Resolute. White as snow. A sigh of wonder escaped her lips as she stared, and she threw her arm out so that it dangled off the edge of her bed.

As perceptive as she knew herself to be, she knew Shikamaru was all the more observant, all the more detail-oriented, and all the more aware.

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><p><em>Review!<em>


	2. Peppermint and comfort

_Chapter two! College apps are over; downtime and waiting are my fate for the next few weeks, so time for me to finally update!_

_Unfortunately, we don't see our infamous, white-eyed playboy quite yet. This chapter focuses mostly on the sisterly relationship between Tenten and Sakura and elaborates a little bit on what has happened to the two up to this point. This is one of the only times in the story that Sakura will be displayed this prominently; once Tenten transfers, we'll see very little of anyone at the Shinobi Agent HQ until the plot thickens further. Unless, that is, I decide I want to throw some of them back in._

_Please bear with me! This kind of stuff may be a bore to read at times, but I really put effort into developing what I deem to be a very important relationship. This is also reconciliation for the many times in the past I've hated on Sakura. She's actually quite the character! I love her!_

_But I still hate Nejisaku with all of my heart, soul, and mind. Sorry._

_Enjoy! _

_WLH_

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><p>The sterile smell of a hospital, doused in gingery peppermint, filled the room, and the girl draped over the lower bunk bed sat up abruptly. A weathered photograph dangled from her fingertips and sleep shrouded her eyes for a few moments. Aware of a new presence in the room, she blinked, focused, and was immediately alert.<p>

"Welcome back," she called out, "Sakura-chan."

The door creaked open all the way and her roommate's bubble-gum hair peeked in through the doorway over a resigned grin. "I give up trying to scare you," she announced. "Thanks, Tenten."

Said shinobi agent returned the smile. "Maybe if you took a long shower to scrub off all that hospital smell you'd be more successful."

Sakura began shamelessly stripping off the soft pink one-piece that composed her work uniform, folding it carefully to avoid wrinkles. "The only thing is, I have to pass by you in the room to even reach the shower," she said.

Tenten laughed and fell back onto the mattress with a thud. "Go use Sasuke's."

"Har har," Sakura replied dryly, pulling on a loose-fitting maroon shirt. "Speaking of Sasuke, he asked me to bring you that." Her arm flailing to find the armhole, she nodded in the direction of a tray she had set down on the desk by the door.

"So that was the extraneous scent that accompanied the tell-tale smell of rubbing alcohol and surgical instruments." Dishes clinked as Tenten scooted the try to the edge of the desk to eat. "I love miso salmon."

"Hospitals serve food too," Sakura sniffed sullenly, feigning injury.

In the comfortable silence that followed, she contemplated her quietly eating friend for a moment, watching with foam green eyes as Tenten placidly broke off pieces of tender fish with wooden chopsticks. Red-rimmed, with the words 'lady luck' encircling the circumference of each chopstick—the ones she always used. They shook slightly in her grip, though her face was still.

Knowing how to discern her close friend's emotions through the worry-diverting façade she often put up, Sakura settled herself onto her bed and pulled the elastics from Tenten's tightly wound buns, letting the mahogany hair ripple down like water. Comb. Her hands found it lying within the crumpled sheets and began running it soothingly over the smooth locks. This comforting gesture was one of the many ways the two coped with their emotional burdens as they worked as the youngest female agents at Konoha.

The simple act of love started when Sakura lost her first patient, and, in a whirlwind of tragedy and self-blame, hacked off her long hair. Seeing her friend's distress, Tenten had picked up the very same comb and begun brushing the newly-cut hair until Sakura had calmed down.

When Tenten suffered from insomnia and guilt-ridden panic attacks after carrying out her first assassination, Sakura was right there beside her, feeling pain, feeling emptiness whenever she did.

When the former Executive Hokage, the Third, was killed, the time Sasuke was in a coma—these were all moments when, emotionally torn within, the two girls had leaned on each other. Though the two were raised on opposite ends of the spectrum—Tenten the weapons specialist and Sakura the nurse—they both shouldered the same mental and emotional strife that came with their jobs and found solace in each others' understanding.

Even now, as Sakura gently threaded wisps of her brown hair into a neat French braid, Tenten felt her shoulders relax.

"Tough mission ahead?" The medic-in-training asked.

Tenten nodded slowly so as to not interfere with her braiding. "You know my aversion to people who play with others' feelings like they're not worth anything," she said softly.

"Hyuuga Neji, huh?" An elastic snapped onto the end of the long braid.

"Sasuke, that bug. He can never keep quiet." There was a tinge of fondness in Tenten's voice.

Sakura slid her arms around Tenten's slender waist and rested her cheek on the back of her friend's shoulder, burying her nose in the braid she had just finished. "He asked me to bring you food because he figured you wouldn't be down for dinner. 'She'll be sleeping off her own stubbornness so it doesn't interfere with the mission, knowing her,' he said."

"Hmm," the other sighed and propped her own cheeks up on her hands, smiling. "Did he also do that hair-thing you think is so irresistibly cute?"

"Hah. Devil." Sakura withdrew her arms and stood to find a decent pair of pants. "Drink your miso soup."

Tenten obliged, raising the bowl to her lips and wetting them with the savory broth. "Sasuke is as nonsensical as always," she noted, amused. "Miso soup with miso salmon. The two flavors of miso are overpowering each other."

"But you love miso to death and you could live off it. He knows you so well."

The weapons mistress gazed as her friend, now fully-dressed, rocked idly on the chair of her desk. "Well, we did grow up together." There was a soft slurp as she filled her cheeks with the still-warm dregs of her soup. An extra piece of tofu appeared between her lips, dragged in with the soup. She chewed happily.

"Since the day you were born," Sakura elaborated.

Outside, the bustling night scene of Tokyo hailed them with honks, sirens, and the yells of sleepless Tokyoites. Stoplights and the tiny pinpoints of stars blended into one twinkling mass behind the translucent curtains hung over their window. Appetite satisfied and having properly come to terms with her despair, Tenten turned her attention to the liveliness, soaking in the almost dream-like world with glowing brown eyes. The carefree, pleasure-filled life seemed so unreal.

"Pretty much," she confirmed slowly, reflecting on her relationship with Sasuke. "He knows me the best out of anyone, and I, him."

At this, Sakura pouted, "Even me?" making Tenten laugh girlishly.

She reached out to give her friend a hug. "Do YOU want to take a bath together like Sasuke and I did when we were kids?" she joked.

"That could be arranged," Sakura shot back, equally playful. She noted the glimmer in Tenten's eyes and smiled. "Feeling better, then?"

A coy smile accompanied the somehow feminine snort. "Must be your imagination."

Sakura rolled her eyes pointedly and gave a rather large sigh. "I'm so jealous of you, Tenten-chan."

"Because of Sasu-gay baka!" her friend said cheerily, hitting the nail on the head.

"He cares about you so much…" the nurse said in remorse, though her tone was touched with levity. "He has no time to even think of anyone else."

"'Tenten do this. Tenten go there. Tenten stay away from that.' He's like a nagging old granny."

"Nagging old grannies aren't that freaking cute!" Sakura insisted, conviction replacing the playfulness in her face. "I wish I was front-lines and more field-oriented so I could get to know him better…as a medic-to-be I'm always locked up here with Shizune-sensei."

"Eh," Tenten said fondly. "That chicken-butt hair really isn't all that. Besides, who would see me when you're around?" Someone honked loudly across the street. A drunken man sang a silly old folk tale to the tune of twinkle twinkle little star. "You're pretty, gentle, talented, clever, well-developed"—she emphasized the last two words—"while I'm…" she paused to think. "I'm like a kid."

Sakura clucked at this self-deprecation like a mother hen. "This nonsense again!"

"I hear no nonsense. Except for maybe that drunk outside."

"You shine, Tenten!" Sakura stood abruptly, excitedly, pink hair swaying. "There's just something about you—your smile, your anger, your sadness, your every action—that draws people to you. And no matter how hard I try, no matter how good I am, I will never be able to outshine you!" She settled down at this, slightly disheartened. "And I know that's the case in Sasuke's eyes as well."

"Don't be silly," Tenten responded strongly, with a loving look upon possibly her closest friend. "There's no way one person can outshine another—we all shine in different ways. Every single person has a unique shine, and I know every single one of those is worth appreciating." She grasped Sakura's hand earnestly. "I am who I am because of you! And I hope you say the same so I can be proud of having contributed to such an amazing light."

Sakura blinked. The drunk man's voice cracked outside, and a truck honked as if offended. Finally, she closed her eyes and laughed good-naturedly. "There you go again, shining like the sun you've always been."

"If I am the sun, then thou art the moon," replied the other, "and what would the world be without either?"

"Screwed," Sakura completed.

The two sat side-by-side on the lower bunk, their hands finding each other. Fingers intertwined, they listened together to the outdoors, to the life they might have had.

"Hey, Tenten-chan," Sakura spoke into the semi-silence.

Tenten tapped her feet animatedly on the bamboo-mat floor. "Yes?"

"Do you think Hyuuga Neji shines as well?"

Konoha's ultimate assassin contemplated this question as a throbbing dance beat started up at a nearby club. Was Neji, supposed play-boy and egotist extraordinaire, capable of exhibiting relatively human-like morals?

Really, Tenten decided level-headedly, it was too soon to tell.

"I hope it's a yes," she murmured softly, thinking about the old photograph she had managed to slip under the pillow of the top bunk before Sakura had entered. "Too often we leave all of the good things about ourselves behind."

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><p><em>Review; I love you!<em>


	3. Ice and a beginning

_AN: I know I just updated, but I managed to finish this as well, so it came up right away. More back story and preparation for the mission to come, but it's the last one. The great Hyuuga Neji makes his debut in the next chapter, so bear with me._

_We see a lot of new characters in this chapter, including Kakashi. Hopefully this gives you some idea of how things work around Konoha. There are more details regarding the mission. I also worked in quite a bit of character depth including implications of Tenten and Sasuke's past before they arrived at Konoha. And Tenten apparently has an older brother..?_

_Enjoy the relationships and niches I've carved out for each of the characters!_

_WLH_

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><p>"You're due to leave in a week."<p>

"Great."

"You'll be in Hyuuga Neji's class, 3-B."

"Awesome."

"According to these documents, the school's in Shibuya. Highly urban, full of pop-culture, fashion and—"

"I've been to Shibuya before, Sasuke." An annoyed Tenten sat with her chest pressed against the back of a rolling chair. She fiddled absentmindedly with the height-adjustment handle protruding from the seat cushion, then figured that this highly unappealing information her unit mate was dishing out to her was indeed important and asked, "Any specific instructions from Tsunade-sama or Kaka?" Kakashi, affectionately called Kaka, was the Jounin in charge of reconnaissance and disguise.

Sasuke smiled at her determination to remain professionally indifferent. "Vaguely. Tsunade-sama recommends you join the light music (K-ON) club."

"Let me guess: Our little prince is a prodigy guitarist," she replied, sending herself spinning with a push of her left foot. "Good thing I can play piano… to a certain extent."

"A bassist, to be exact," he corrected softly, "but he does play both the guitar and the drums."

The two teammates shared a look of slight nostalgia as they both remembered similar moments of musical joy that tinged their often sorrowful pasts. Memories of laughter, warbling voices, and jarring chords strummed out on the guitar or banged out on the piano. A dim bar, glasses clinking, music playing, bodies colliding, dancing. Some of those characteristically light-hearted moments that ward off dark before it creeps slowly back in.

Tenten broke the silence. "Something just occurred to me," she almost whispered, trying to blink away tears she didn't know she had been holding back.

"What's that?" His eyes focused onto hers; he looked equally as moved by their mutual thoughts.

She pushed gently toward him with the tips of her toes, her socked feet trailing on the floor as she rolled forward. Her chair bumped into the back of his, and she stared imploringly, nose-to-nose with the onyx-eyed agent, retaining all of the comfort that comes of knowing someone intimately for many years.

Her lips parted and she spoke again. "What if I fall in love with him?" Her eyes were blank and wide.

His brow furrowed inexplicably and he stated slowly, thoughtfully, "Only you know the real answer to that."

"When I find it, I'll let you know." She blinked, held his gaze, then thought of something else. "Could you talk to Sakura more? I like seeing her when she's happy and glowing so much she looks like a little pink star on legs."

Brown and black seemed to melt when he gave her his characteristic half-smile. "I will make an effort," he said, ruffling her hair in a brotherly way. And just like that, the spell was broken.

Tenten slid away toward her desk to reach for her phone, which had started flashing green from Kakashi's extension. "Yes?" she spoke, and Sasuke went back to studying the mission files spread across his desk.

"Tenten, there are a few things I'd like to cover with you for this mission," Kakashi drawled. A rustling sound filtered through the earpiece and she concluded he was probably leafing through one of his perverted novels.

She sighed with a looming dread, imagining exactly what kind of reconnaissance training Kakashi intended to put her through. She was pretty sure it involved more knee-socks and ribbons and frilly skirts of the sort. "On my way." She replaced the sleek, black phone onto its hook and made a grim face at her childhood friend. "Kaka calls. As expected."

"Bon Voyage, sweetie," he murmured. "If he forces you into any interesting clothing, make sure you snap some photos for posterity."

* * *

><p>A mask, that's what Tenten felt like she was wearing. Heavy, coating every inch of her face, pressing down on her cheeks, on her nose, droopy and gloppy on her eyelids. She was perched on a three-legged stool in the middle of Kakashi's disguise studio. The Jounin was a bit of an avant garde artist, with a flair for color and visual perception, as could be gathered from the bright reference paintings that dressed the studio. Farmers plowed in a vibrant countryside to Tenten's left, and ghoul-like rockers with wide, purple lips placed passionate kisses on their microphones to her right. The artist himself was currently occupied with his newest work of art—Tenten's face.<p>

"This is despicable," she managed through gritted teeth.

"Don't move," he spoke, his voice strangely soft and refined for one as liberal as he. "I'm just trying to give you a feel for what girls in that area typically wear."

When she groaned, he added, "It's not even that much, for pete's sake, Tenten."

"I feel like my face is going to slide off. I had no idea you were itching to see my facial muscles that much, Kaka."

"Oh, very good. You're getting funnier," the talented recon agent noted drily as he dabbed layers of nude eye shadow onto the crease of her eyes. "Finished."

He spun her around so she could face the full-length mirror that composed one whole wall of his studio and she studied herself carefully. For some reason she found hard to explain, she didn't hate it. Her eyes were darker and far more dramatic, standing out starkly against her pale skin and blushing cheeks. The glaring lights from overhead made it evident what an outstanding job Kakashi had done on highlighting—her cheekbones glowed, her forehead seemed to protrude elegantly, her nose was far more prominent. The round childishness of her face had seemingly disappeared, pressed into angles under the genius hands of this artist.

"I… look…" she fumbled her words, transfixed.

"Older?" he completed smilingly.

"Yes," she breathed finally, hardly daring to believe the confident, regal face with the piercing eyes was actually hers. "But… how will this help me at all?" She raised her eyebrow. "Don't tell me this is the type of girl Hyuuga likes."

He shook his head and his silver hair drooped. "The file says he prefers younger, innocent girls. At least, that's what we can tell from his previous… er, lovers, shall we say."

She couldn't reign in the bitter disgust that surged through her at Kakashi's comment and suddenly felt sick. Her face, made light by her previous amazement, was heavier than before, like cement had been slathered on it. "So he can take advantage of them?" she whispered.

Kakashi looked disconcerted at this conclusion, and he rubbed a thumb across her trembling cheek. "Look, Tenten. I know you've had a lot of trauma regarding situations like that, but don't you think you're deciding things about his character too quickly?"

Silence permeated as dark thoughts swirled within her head. Pain, both physical and emotional. She tried to find those memories of happiness, of music and laughter, that she and Sasuke had previously indulged in. She reached deeply for them but could not seem to grasp them. Finally, she looked up with hardened eyes. "Kaka, if I don't even need this kind of makeup for the mission, why did you do this?"

His eyes, in contrast to hers, softened. Molten silver; how she loved when his eyes fell gently over her like they did now. "You aren't always going to be locked in your brother's shadow. Ren babied you. He stuffed you away from the outside because he thought you couldn't take it. But you aren't a kid anymore. Tsunade picked you for this because she knows you can do it."

"But I am a kid," she said strongly. "To him, I will always be." Her gaze held not an ounce of self-pity; her voice rang with the strength and independence she had gained over the years. "He hates me. He looks down on me."

She was met with silence. Kakashi knew better than to argue this point. Instead, he reached for cotton balls and makeup remover, gently sliding it over her coated face.

"Why are you erasing?"

He continued long, slow movements, rubbing under the eyes, on the bridge of her nose. "This was just a reminder that you are an adult on the inside. And that"—he grunted, reached for more cotton balls—"when we look at you, we see a regal, confident, radiant young woman."

She smiled faintly, the soft glow returning to her eyes now that they were devoid of all traces of makeup. "Thank you for your faith." She watched as he straightened up and dusted off his hands. "Now what?"

The devilish gleam in his eyes was not lost on Tenten. "Now, we learn to act girly."

Superb. Simply superb.

The next two hours were actually very pleasant for Tenten, though she obviously chose not to admit it, receiving Kakashi's suggestions and instructions with reluctant nods. She grimaced when he let her hair down to braid it and scoffed when he replicated the speech patterns of an ordinary high school girl. She couldn't help but giggle when he launched into full pontification about the sometimes absurd fashion trends in Shibuya, and anyone studying her at that moment would realize she was thoroughly enjoying herself. Their laughter echoed off the painted walls; her cheeks were rosy with life.

When she arrived as a young girl at Konoha with Sasuke and her brother, poor, orphaned, and completely loyal to the both of them, Kakashi was the first person she despised. Her brother injured himself protecting the artist on his first mission, and she, naïve child that she was, thoroughly blamed Kakashi. Now, with such an emotional chasm between herself and her brother, the incident seemed like a faint grain of sand among many, insignificant and petty.

Though she and Kakashi had initially gotten off on the wrong foot, time and several missions together had drawn her to him like a daughter to her father. She had come to enjoy his lazy drawl, so much like Shikamaru's, and the moments when he would show her pieces of the various lives he observed. He had to account for a lot of her acuity.

"I feel like I'm Eliza Doolittle and you're Professor Higgins," Tenten sang, spinning around the studio in a flowery spring dress he had procured for her. "Teach me to speak! The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain!"

He chuckled. "I knew Tsunade-sama shouldn't have showed you that movie."

"Ah, Sakura and I enjoyed it from beginning to end, so we disagree," she replied. "I will be Eliza Doolittle where I'm going, Kaka. In a place where I really don't belong." She swirled to a halt and surveyed her feet in their high-top sneakers and scrunchy socks. "The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain…"

* * *

><p>After Kakashi's training came Anko's. She monopolized on assassination and weapons, so Tenten respected her. Though after the rather short "training session," she wasn't so sure.<p>

"Absolutely no weapons while you're in school. Only portable items on you at all times."

And seeing Tenten's protesting face, she had snapped, "And that's final. No bringing Web with you either."

With that and a quick hug, she sent the agent back to her unit's workroom in a very grim state.

"No Web, said Anko," Tenten grumbled to the room's occupants upon her return. While she was gone, Shikamaru had returned to sort through information regarding Hyuuga Software Inc.

The Nara grinned sympathetically. "We'll be holding onto it for you. We'll give it to you when you need it."

Sasuke was less agreeable. "Ohhh, poor Ten-chan without her Web. You take it everywhere. You don't even sleep without that thing!" he teased, gesturing to the sniper rifle currently set on wall hooks over her desk.

"Web is my precious partner," she insisted. "He's so reliable!"

"Your lover, more like," stated a tall boy who had entered the room in the midst of their banter. The cut-off shirt he wore exposed a toned abdomen, and his eyes were deep as water. "That is what a lover is, right? Someone who's always with you. At least, that's what Sakura-san told me."

"Sai," Shikamaru said, sighing. "What are you doing here? There's no way we need your help since we haven't even guaranteed entrance into the Hyuuga compound."

"Hyuuga compound?" Tenten asked. "Does that mean I have to get invited to his house?"

"Ideally," her unit leader admitted, wincing slightly and pondering how troublesome letting her know the truth would be. "If we want to protect Neji, we ought to know the layout of the house…"

"And that's where Sai comes in, I suppose," she stated, surprisingly calm. "As long as you see the compound, you'll be able to memorize and reproduce the floor plan what with your memory being the way it is."

The agent famed for his photographic memory confirmed this with a nod. "Tsunade-sama simply wished me to inform you. Call in to Konoha when I'm needed."

"Thank you, Sai." Sasuke was suddenly all business, losing his teasing tone. "We'll be sure to do so."

With a sorrowful, "I'm sorry you must be separated from your lover," to Tenten, Sai was out the door, leaving behind the faint scent of ink and freshly-cut grass.

"Godddd…" Tenten groaned.

* * *

><p>The week flitted by quickly. As the days passed, she learned more about Hyuuga Neji and his circumstances. And the more she learned, the less she found she could hate him. She kept lingering over the old photograph that now had a permanent home in the pocket of whatever trousers she happened to be wearing. She took care to extract it before her pants went into the wash, and the more she studied the young Neji's pained but resolute eyes, the more she was convinced of his decency. Or at least, of the fact that it was salvageable.<p>

She spent a large amount of time sharpening her taijutsu with Gai. He taught her a form of fighting that was geared toward the defense of a third party, as that was what would come most in handy for the purpose of the mission. The rest of her time was cleanly halved between Kakashi, who continued to reveal to her all of Shibuya's color and excitement, and Sakura, whom she knew she would miss dearly. The two spent a lot of their off-time with each other. They cooked together in the kitchen. They crawled into each other's beds for comfort and long talks. They laughed about Neji, about Sasuke, about a variety of things only they knew and understood. And they wept together, not out of weakness, but out of love.

This mission would be a long one. An indefinite one, with indefinite leaves, for who knew how long Hyuuga Neji would be at risk? Who knew how long Tenten would need to keep up the pretext of being a student in order to protect him?

Anko refused to see the girl, lest she pester her about letting her bring more weapons, but that didn't stop her from sending Kiba with a brand new kunai, emblazoned with an odd swirl, on the day Tenten's unit was scheduled to leave.

"Anko-san said it was for me?" She said in surprise at Kiba, who offered a sunny grin that showed off his fangs.

"She did. She said she got it a while ago from the master of the Hyuuga house after completing an assassination mission for them. She said it might help you."

"Hyuuga Hiashi-sama did?" Shikamaru leaned over to inspect the icy blue knife. "Aside from the monetary compensation?"

Kiba shrugged at this. "Not too sure. She didn't say too much about it."

That struggling, drawn feeling pitted in her heart again. Same as the old photo. Tenten ran her fingers deftly over the sharp edge and the slick blade sent shivers of sad longing over her shoulders. Something about the knife was alluring; she could almost taste the tragedy laced in its conception and its use. The pearl embedded in its hilt, milky and cold as snow, reminded her of something, but she did not say what.

She merely uttered, "Tell Anko-san I will use it well," and tucked it securely into the wrappings at her thigh. From there, it radiated a supreme cold, unlike one she had ever felt before.

But there was a warmth as well, wrapped in all of the chill and frost.

_I want to meet Hyuuga Neji_, she thought, and surprised herself. _I want to meet him, and I want to give him this kunai._

The three-pronged weapon of Konoha departed silently and arrived at the apartment they were to stay at, within sight of the immense Hyuuga compound. Night was just beginning to encroach on day, streaks of red rimming the horizon.

Sasuke put a hand on his unit mate's shoulder. "School's starting tomorrow."

She nodded, and before turning away from the sky, thought for a moment she had seen a bird soar by, wings extended and utterly free.

"I know."

* * *

><p><em>Review. Spread the love!<em>


	4. On Wings of Love and Steel

_AN: Couldn't help but churn out another chapter. This really is quite fun to write._

_Finally, the almighty prodigy of Konoha11 makes his stunning appearance. In our first scene with him, we immediately see some sort of introspection that suggests further depth of personality than Tenten is willing to believe. But so far, she's turned out to be quite flexible, so we'll see how their relationship develops._

_Do you think Neji's planning on taking advantage of Tenten? I'll let you guys decide for yourselves._

_This chapter is the actual beginning of the story; consider the previous chapters as prologues to help you better understand the characters and the world they're in. There are a lot of thematic hints and a lot of symbols thus far! I want this story to actually have meaning, hahaha._

_And we finally understand where the story's title comes from. (:_

_I'm sorry for what I do at the end of this chapter. I really am. _

_WLH_

* * *

><p><em>It's that dream again. There's a dead bolted cage door in front of me. I can't see much else. The sides, my peripheral vision, is clouded black and creeping upwards. But I don't need to see anything else; for some reason, I'm intent on watching the door.<em>

_Because I can see the lock. I can see that it has a latch that can easily be opened by whatever is inside the cage. I can see that it will open eventually. Whatever it is will open the door eventually and come to consume me._

_It's a waiting game, but I'll live my life the way I want to until it comes._

"Nii-sama, will you not partake of breakfast this morning? The soup is getting cold." A soft voice drifted into the room through the sliding door.

Sunlight filtered in from the thin paper partitions of the room's large window and a maple tree close by rustled, stirred by a faint breeze. Pale eyes, gleaming, crisp, and white as snow, opened to a warm spring morning.

"Nii-sama?"

A yawn, some stretching, a soft grating as the window slid open. "I'm going." After a few moments of contemplating the glowing outdoors of the inner court his quarters embraced, Hyuuga Neji rose from his futon, inky black hair swaying.

* * *

><p>The once abandoned apartment on the ground floor of the building across from the Hyuuga compound was suddenly full of life. Only a few people resided there to begin with, and as a result, no one paid much attention to the run down building. On this particular morning however, if one had chosen to eavesdrop on the suddenly chatty apartment 101, they would have heard a conversation that went something like this.<p>

"So I was thinking more of the silent, creepy nerd type. That way I don't have to say too much and no one will suspect a thing." A girl's voice, sweet with a few notes of excitement, floated out through the open window. "What nice weather.."

A lazy snort issued from somebody else inside. "That's definitely going to be believable with a face like yours."

"I don't like that sarcasm, Shika."

"Believe me, it's no—"

"Tadah! Check out what I have. Don't these look nice? Don't I look like your typical nerd?"

"Are those Shino's?"

"There is no way I'm letting you wear those to school." A new voice, rough and boyish, joined the first two.

"Shino's design. He replaced the dark lenses with clear ones. Look, senbon will shoot out of the frame if I pop out the lenses," the girl answered. "Single use only, though."

"Fat lot of help that's going to do you in a potential hostage situation."

"Better than the close to nothing I have with me thanks to Anko-san!"

"You guys are far too troublesome. Tenten, leave. You're late. Let her wear them for today, Sasuke."

"I'm off!"

"Later, weirdo."

Any eavesdroppers would have had to jump away in surprise to refrain from getting run into by the girl who sprang out the flung open apartment door, her hair in braids and a piece of toast clenched firmly between her teeth. And they would have watched, jaws on the floor, as she leapt and promptly disappeared into the nearby trees.

* * *

><p>"UZUMAKIIIIII SUPER ENTRANCE! IT'S BIG NEWS!"<p>

Heads turned at the outburst. Several groaned, knowing what was to come. Heavy, overeager footsteps rumbled down the senior hallway. Moments later, the classroom door of 3-B burst open and the son of the Uzumaki Noodle Corporation's president came flying in. He leapt in with a battle cry, arms stretched, landed flat on his face on the carpeted floor, bounced once, and started rolling, rolling... His classmates watched, bored, as he crashed into the far wall and lay still.

One of them, a slim redhead with a tattooed forehead, leaned his cheek on his hand. "Is he dead?" he asked with little interest.

"UOOOH, THAT WAS THE SHIT. DID YOU SEE THAT?"

"Aaaand no, he's not."

"Naru-chan, must you be so noisy in the mornings? I really can't concentrate on what I'm doing, sweetie." The girl to the right of the redheaded student wore expensive looking lace on her uniform collar and a haughty sort of smile. Long, blond hair that appeared well-kept fell over her shoulder.

"Ino-chi," the loudmouth piped up, rubbing his head. "Sorry..."

"You don't have to be," the redhead murmured. "She's not doing anything that important, anyway."

"I am too, Gaara!" She swatted at him indignantly, but he seemed relatively unfazed. "This is for Hyuuga-sama, after all. I observed him reading some books the other day, and..." she blushed coyly down at the pressed-flower bookmarks she was in the process of making.

"Neji doesn't need any bookmarks, but yes, I applaud your efforts, little blond," was Gaara's sardonic reply. Ignoring the fuming blond beside him, he peeked open a stunning green eye to stare at Naruto, who was still rubbing his aching head.

Gaara's gaze intensified at the Uzumaki's disheveled state. "Fix your tie. That's really going to irk Neji. You know how he is about uniform policy as class rep."

When Naruto reluctantly obliged, he added, "And what did you mean when you said there was big news? Don't tell me the lunch room's selling caviar again."

"Gosh, caviar? I hope so. Speaking of which, I'm starv—"

The classroom door snapped open.

"Oi, Uzumaki." Silence reigned in the large classroom at the voice, a low baritone, smooth as silk and alluringly cold. "You're in the way. Move."

"My bad, Neji!" Naruto said, scrambling up to his feet. He gave his friend a smart little salute and a wide grin. "Good morning! Apparently, they're selling caviar in the lunchroom again."

If it had been anyone else, they would have been blown to high heaven and back, but since it was Naruto, and the two had attended school together since their elementary years, Neji dismissed it with a blunt, "Hn. Morning." He nodded at both Gaara and a star-struck, giggling Ino and sauntered to his seat in the far corner of the room. Once he had settled himself, propping his bass on the wall behind him and dumping a large assortment of notebooks on the desk, the classroom burst into activity again.

"I should give these to Hyuuga-sama," Ino looked happily down at her now completed bookmarks. "I had to sneak the most expensive of my mother's flowers from the storage room."

"To nii-sama? It really m-must be nice being the inheritor of Yamanaka Flowers." A porcelain-faced girl, flat out tiny with gently tinted lavender eyes, slipped into her seat beside Ino. "Good morning, Ino-san, Gaara-san."

The wispy girl was almost colorless in both appearance and personality, and few took notice of her as her domineering older brother, who was almost a year older than her, dwarfed her in his intelligence and leader-like charisma. It was in this way she had drifted quietly into the classroom behind her brother, relatively unnoticed. Despite this, she was the apple of her father's eye and well respected as a proper lady, a yamato nadeshiko.

"Ah, good morning, Hinata-san," Ino replied brightly.

"Good morning," Gaara followed suit.

Ino eagerly displayed the multiple bookmarks to her deskmate as she set down her school bag. "You must know your brother well, Hinata-san. Could you tell me what kind of flower he likes best? Or maybe his favorite color?"

Poor Hinata did not have the heart to tell Ino that Neji rather disliked flowers as they gave him terrible allergies; even looking at them made his eyes water, and he refused to have a great amount of them in his inner court. "If it is you giving them to him," she replied lightly, "I am sure nii-sama would be overjoyed no matter what they are."

Said Hyuuga was currently staring vacantly at the two girls as they giggled over some nonsense, he was quite sure. Girls were silly and frivolous and easy to deceive, but that was what made them so enticing. So fun to toy with. Aside from this thought, he was considering the images he had seen in his sleep. He hadn't had the dream with the cage door for a long time, so its sudden reappearance was disconcerting.

_Something's coming_, he thought, and when he looked up, there she was.

He blinked once, dumbly, not knowing that the round-faced girl with disheveled hair and laughably huge glasses before him would completely change the direction of his life. In all honesty, he was so weirded out that he only had the capacity to wonder if that _thing_ with the braids was just a figment of his imagination.

_No, no,_ he deduced. She couldn't be fake. He could smell her, something clean and a little woodsy, though not altogether unpleasant. His imagination wasn't so powerful as to overwhelm his olfactory senses. She wore the school uniform, he noted, albeit in a mussed way that annoyed him, blouse tucked out and knee socks scrunched halfway up her calves. Yet her face was unfamiliar.

A transfer student. Yes. That would explain the slightly foreign scent and her lack of knowledge regarding uniform policy. He was busy congratulating his brilliance for deducing this when Naruto suddenly stood at his desk.

"I remember what the big news was!" he announced, and hopped up on his desk. "EVERYONE!" When he was sure he had disturbed everyone's ears enough to have their attention, he cleared his throat, hitched up his pants, and bellowed, "I heard we have a new transfer student!"

The girl before Neji flushed, and he loosed a golden smirk. Bingo.

"Transfer?"

"No way, a transfer student?"

"From where? I wonder if her parents are from some company.."

Whispers filled the room as students discussed the news. Shibuya Azabu Academy did not receive many transfers. The school was far too prestigious for normal students to even afford, let alone attend. Every single student was from a prosperous family, and it was not uncommon for students to arrive to school by limo, or even by airplane. Plush carpets lined the floors; golden chandeliers hung from airy, high-ceilinged halls. Some of the regular students included the daughter of a popular actress and a boy whose uncle worked with the Prime Minister himself. Some of the more well-to-do students were the children of major corporation CEOs and presidents, and, of course, one Hyuuga Neji.

When she arrived before the literally golden gates of the main building, Tenten couldn't believe how overwhelmingly stupid the entire setup was. Gathering all of the richest children with connections to the richest and most influential families in one place was like announcing one's presence in enemy territory with fanfare and a parade to boot. There couldn't be a worse place to lay low; she was surprised Neji hadn't gotten himself killed and de-eyed by the Black Market yet.

And now here was this obnoxious blond—was that even his natural color?—announcing her arrival to the world. She flushed, and, perceptive as ever, sensed the Hyuuga's smirk behind her.

"You reap what you sow." She hadn't turned around, but it was evident she was addressing him. Her pencil case snapped open and she rustled paper out of her school bag.

The sudden assault of her voice seemed to startle him, as he had not too long ago been debating her actual existence, but he quickly regained composure. "You... have leaves in your hair," he shot back.

_From the trip to school_, she realized indifferently. She should have just taken the train.

"They're a fashion statement," she grumbled, still refusing to face him. Her heart pounded; she was intensely aware of the old photograph in her blazer pocket and was afraid that she would forever lose sight of the sad boy with the hopeful eyes if she looked upon the current Hyuuga Neji. "Hands off."

He had made to remove the leaves, but he hadn't even touched her before she noticed and called him out. "I wasn't planning on laying hands on you," he scoffed. Suddenly, he remembered that this odd creature before him was indeed a girl and could thus be seduced like all the others. When he spoke again, his voice practically oozed from between his lips. "Unless... you'd like me to, some time."

She had been planning to play along, to get closer to him, but a thick repulsion coated her throat and she managed to hiss, "Shut up, bastard," as the teacher walked in.

It was good, she realized. The sexy, endearing look she had been planning would not have had the intended effect with the addition of leaves stuck haphazardly in her hair.

"What did you call me?" Suddenly, he sounded dangerous. His ego had just been seriously tempered with by a girl who wasn't even remotely pretty; his honor was now at stake.

Unafraid and only further repulsed, Tenten made to reply, but was interrupted by the teacher calling her to the front of the room. She ignored Neji, already feeling nothing but utter disgust for the pretentious jerk, and climbed down the stairs that led to the front of the almost lecture-hall-like classroom. Several students giggled at the state of her hair and clothes—_good_, she thought. _Let them laugh_. It made her job several times easier if they didn't expect anything from her but oddity.

"Class, let me introduce you to our new student." Their teacher, surprisingly enough, had what appeared to be an unlit cigarette clamped in the corner of his mouth. "She came all the way from China, and she's grown up in areas of rebellion there, so she may not be accustomed to urban Japan. Let's all be welcoming and help her acclimate herself."

Tenten tried to stop worrying about the cigarette and bowed. Her thick glasses slipped up the bridge of her nose. "Nice to meet you. I'm Tenten Akimoto. My father was a high-ranking official in China, but we were forced to relocate to Japan due to certain circumstances. Let's get along from now on." It was a credible back story, with plenty of sources willing to testify to its accuracy should there be any investigation, though there likely wouldn't be any.

Some of the politer classmates, like Hinata, smiled and nodded, but most just laughed, unimpressed.

"Asuma-sensei, could you have her explain if the leaves are some crazy fashion from China?" Ino yelled out teasingly. "We're all dying to find out."

Tenten affected a shy, bookish personality when Asuma glared at the platinum blond for her rudeness. "Perhaps? I... I'm afraid I don't know too much about fashion.."

When she was finally able to return to her seat, her chest brimmed with a sort of satisfaction at having so well established her persona. She had noticed a shy Hyuuga Hinata from the front of the room and realized she was the older girl gripping Neji's sleeve in the old photograph; she decided that sticking to the equally unassuming sister of Neji would be most beneficial and was working out how to approach the girl when she suddenly felt long, lithe fingers working at her hair.

"What in heaven's mighty name are you doing?" She asked of the sullen-eyed boy behind her as he proceeded to remove the leaves despite her protests. "I told you not to touch me."

"I'm most kindly helping you adjust to urban Japan, as Asuma-sensei suggested. Don't protest. Be thankful," he commanded.

The truth was, he had felt a strange affinity for the girl as she received the onslaught of mockery and snide laughter without an inch of indignation. There was something about her that unhinged him though he would not betray this inkling of a thought. Her off-kilter appearance, the dull, foggy glasses, the mousy voice. And her hair, he noted, was remarkably soft.

Tenten debated turning around and glaring at the Hyuuga, but the rhythmic tugs of his surprisingly warm fingers through her hair was strangely comforting. How can someone with such gentle hands be so manipulative, so haughty?

_Onii-chan—no, Ren—always had gentle hands, before he started ignoring me_, she remembered. The feel of Neji silently removing leaves from her hair enveloped the two in a little blanket of awkward intimacy, there in the corner of the room. They barely knew each other, yet they were already confusing each other. Already tangled up in each other more than they knew or could ever expect. Visions of her brother, kind-eyed and smiling as he tended to her scraped knees and teary eyes, came to Tenten's mind.

The touching stopped. Something slid open, and a slight breeze drifted in. It smelled of spring, and for a moment, Neji contemplated the outdoors, as he always did, before letting the leaves spill from his fingers.

Tenten was almost disappointed, but she gulped the feeling down. "Thank you, I suppose."

"And you're welcome, I suppose."

Silence, note-taking, Asuma-sensei jotting calculus equations on the board.

A hushed whisper. "Does that mean you're willing to get it on with me now?"

"You're despicable."

* * *

><p>She wasn't sure how she managed to get through until lunch.<p>

The opulence and endless wealth of both the school and the students tired her, and that wasn't the end of her problems.

At first, everyone had been aloof, and she'd had no problem befriending the docile Hinata and the slightly apologetic Ino. Then that idiotic blond boy had to accidentally sit on her glasses, sending the precious senbon loaded in the frame shooting across the classroom. One embedded itself into the wall; Tenten managed to spring and catch about three or four, to the blank amazement of her classmates, but the rest went zooming out the door, and she had had to divert them from hitting unwitting victims with her chakra strings.

Needless to say, this happenstance was blamed on the fact that she had been raised in rebel-zones her whole life, necessitating some knowledge of what several students asserted to be "king-fu."

With the nerd glasses gone and her hair straightened out, the academy's many hormone-driven boys realized how wide-eyed, youthful, and attractive she actually was. People kept arriving in hordes from the other classrooms to gawk at the cute new transfer from China, like she was some zoo animal. Naruto, the attention-seeker and the seeming main cause of all of her strife at the school thus far (for he was the one who spread the news of the cute new transfer from China), trailed after her like an energetic puppy. Then Hinata had to go into her fainting sprees when she realized Naruto wanted to actually partake in the afternoon meal together. The six of them—himself, Hinata, Tenten, Ino, Gaara, and Neji—like a happy family, he described. To top it off, Ino had become sour and venomous because Neji—infuriating, handsome Neji—kept smiling rather seductively at her and asking if she needed anything. Every time she saw him, her heart pounded, but her gag reflexes kicked it. Even her body refused to agree with itself.

She needed new glasses. Glasses be damned, she needed out of this car-chase of a mission.

Exhausted beyond belief, she found some stairs and went up them, hand sliding on the elaborately carved ivory railing. She had finally escaped with the pretext of using the toilet. As she progressed upwards from the third floor, where the senior classrooms were located, the halls grew loftier and mustier. The plush carpet began letting out little puffs of dust even with her light steps. She fingered the minuscule cell phone in her pocket and was considering calling Shikamaru when she saw the door, ajar just the tiniest bit to let in soft rays of sunlight, all the way down the hall.

Opening the door revealed she had found the roof, and a sense of relief rushed over her as she stared out over Shibuya, the spring sky azure as the sea. Before she realized what she was doing, she was seated precariously on the railing that surrounded the roof, legs dangling off the side as she took deep breaths of surprisingly clean city air.

"Isn't that just the slightest bit dangerous?"

She froze. Heart pound. Gag reflex. "What are you doing here?"

He sniffed, offended at her coldness even after his unending kindness (or so he thought) to her. "This was originally my spot before you came in with all of your pretentiousness." He leaned on the rail beside where she sat. She noticed that his blazer was off and that his blouse sleeves were rolled to his elbow.

"My pretentiousness," she repeated ironically. "Aren't you in violation of about ten different uniform policies right now, Hyuuga-san?"

He shrugged carelessly. "I've conveniently forgotten what they are at the moment. That's a pity."

She started to laugh, but caught herself, unsure of what to think. He seemingly put up a goody-two-shoes, serious facade that faded away to lewdness and wholehearted disinterest. Two-faced, but something told her that wasn't all there was to him. "Since you forgot... I guess I can break a few, too."

"No one's stopping you."

She shed her blazer, slackened the ribbon around her neck, and hopped back upon the railing.

"I take it you like being alone."

His attempt at making conversation surprised her, and she replied, "Well I thought you were more of a people-person."

He looked bemused. "What makes you say that?"

_Oh, I don't know, your status as ultimate playboy and egoist extraordinaire?_ she thought with malice, but refrained from saying so. "Well, let's just say that your name isn't unknown, even among high school students in China..."

And then, she face-palmed mentally. Lighting a fire under his ego: Way to go, Tenten.

But to her surprise, he merely laughed, a throaty rumbling that was pleasant to listen to. "I don't even know why I'm speaking to you. I don't even know you."

_Because I'm a girl, and I appear young and exploitable. _She stared down at him for a few moments before deciding to stand up on the railing, arms trailing in the cool wind.

"Isn't that dangerous?" He echoed his initial question, and she shook her head.

"It's not. Because even if I fall, I won't die."

He raised one delicate Hyuuga eyebrow, a part of his prized face.

She smiled, and in the blue-smelling wind suddenly didn't care what he thought of her. The kunai she received from Anko, still strapped to her leg, let out a pulse of warmth. "I will fly off into the sky like I've always believed I can. On wings of steel."

Steel. For independence, for stability. For strength. Things of great significance to her.

"I don't think steel's enough to support someone as heavy as you." His mean-spirited words were returning again; they both knew she was quite slender.

"Then what would?" She played along. Wind rushed through her unraveling braids and tore the rubber bands away. They floated off, and suddenly, her hair was loose.

He glanced up at her, and for a split second, she was looking directly at him, directly at the boy with the hopeful milk eyes. "Maybe love."

And then a bullet smashed into the wall behind them.

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><p><em>Straight into the fire. Review for more!<em>


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